Red Bull KTM Ajo rider crosses finish line at Japanese Grand Prix in second place after leading the entire race. Bo Bendsneyder completes race in eighteenth following penalty for jump start.

Brad Binder missed out on victory by just 17 thousandths of a second at the Japanese Grand Prix, held at Twin Ring Motegi on Sunday. The newly crowned Moto3 World Champion led every lap of the race, before a pass on the last lap relegated him to the runner-up spot. With his latest second position, the South African has a total of 12 podiums from 15 rounds so far in 2016. Bo Bendsneyder places 18th, despite having to serve a ride through penalty for a jump start.

Starting from second position on the grid, Brad Binder made a good start and completed the opening lap in the lead. He would hold onto the place for the next 18 laps, with his largest lead being 0.7 seconds. The gap to the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was cut by a lack of grip, and a single pass on the final lap prevented Binder from claiming his sixth victory of the year.

Bendsneyder faced a difficult challenge from the ninth row, further complicated when he was ordered to complete a ride through penalty for a jump start. The Dutchman complied with the order from Race Direction after the fourth lap and, instead of throwing in the towel, continued pushing to gain positions. He ended the race in a praiseworthy eighteenth position.

Binder’s latest rostrum finish adds 20 more points to his total for the season, taking him to 269. Bendsneyder remains seventeenth with 57 points.

The next round of the Moto3 World Championship takes place next week at Phillip Island in Australia.

Aki Ajo – Team Manager
“Brad [Binder] had another great race. The last few weeks have been hectic for him after becoming World Champion, because he has been busy with other commitments. Nevertheless, we tried to remain equally as focused and come into today as ready as possible. It was not a perfect race, but was very close. Starting the flyaways with a second place is a good result.

Bo [Bendsneyder] had good practice sessions but did not get a good result in qualifying. It was not easy to start from 27th position. He was a little nervous on the grid and moved his bike slightly. After the ride through penalty he had a good race with a good pace, and 18th is a decent position, all things considered.”

Results (Race)
1. Enea Bastianini (Honda) 39:24.273
2. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +0.017
3. Nicolo Bulega (KTM) +4.002
4. Philipp Oettl (KTM) +5.119
5. Fabio Di Giannatonio (Honda) +6.288
18. Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +39.950

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2016
1. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 269 points
2. Enea Bastianini (Honda) 164 points
3. Jorge Navarro (Honda) 143 points
4. Nicolo Bulega (KTM) 129 points
5. Joan Mir (KTM) 124 points
17. Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 53 points

41 BRAD BINDER

“There is usually a large group in Moto3 races, but today I tried to push hard and escape and it worked out. The race was going well and I felt comfortable and confident in the lead, but when there were 8 laps remaining I started to suffer at almost every corner because of a lack of grip. It was very difficult for me to continue at the same pace. Overall, it was a near-perfect race that I led for almost the entirety, and it is just a shame that the win got away on the last lap. The positive thing is that we have another podium, which is also important. I thank the team for another weekend of great work.”

64 BO BENDSNEYDER

“If we take the penalty out of the equation, the race didn’t go badly. I gained a few positions on the opening lap, but it turns out that I had made a slight movement before the lights had come on, and I was hit with a ride through. After the penalty my pace was good, but I made some mistakes because I was a little angry about how things had gone. If we ignore the jump start then it wasn’t a bad day, since in the Warmup we also made improvements that could help us in future races. Now it’s time to focus on Phillip Island, a circuit that I think could be good for me.”